SHIRE RAIL PRIVACY POLICY
Effective 9 October 2026
Shire Rail does not collect or share any personal information. It has no accounts, no analytics, no advertising, and no third-party code. What you do in the app stays on your device.
Shire Rail is an app for iPhone, iPad and Android phones, for the railway on Shirecraft, a private Minecraft server. It is made by the people who run Shirecraft ("we"). This policy explains exactly what the app does with information, which is very little.
WHAT STAYS ON YOUR DEVICE
The app keeps a few things so it works the way you left it. They are stored only on your device, and we never receive them:
- The Minecraft name you claim, if you use witnessing.
- The stations you have witnessed, and when.
- Tickets you issue, and which service notices you have already seen.
- Your settings, and cached copies of map images and wiki pages so the app works offline.
On iPhone and iPad, the Shire Rail widget reads the same on-device information through storage shared only between the app and its widget. Deleting the app deletes all of it. If your device backs up to iCloud, to your Google account, or to a computer, this information is included in that backup, which is handled by Apple or Google and which we cannot access.
WHAT THE APP DOWNLOADS
To show the railway, the live map, and wiki articles, the app downloads public information from Shirecraft's own websites:
- The live map at shirecraft.us, for map images and the list of players currently on the server.
- The community wiki at wiki.shirecraft.us, for articles and pictures of places.
These are ordinary web requests, the same as opening those pages in a browser, and they carry no identifier for you or your device. The only thing you type that leaves your device is a wiki search term, which is sent to the wiki to find results and is not linked to you.
Like any website, these servers may keep standard technical logs of requests (such as IP address and time) for security and to keep them running. We do not use them to identify or track anyone.
WITNESSING AND YOUR MINECRAFT NAME
Witnessing records the stations you have stood at in the game. To use it, you pick your Minecraft name from the list of players online. The app then reads your character's position from the server's public live map, which anyone can already see, and compares it with station locations on your device. Your position is not saved, and your name and witnessed stations are never sent anywhere.
On iPhone and iPad, while the app is closed, it may refresh in the background, and the widget may check the live map from time to time. These checks work the same way and send nothing about you. On Android, the app only checks the live map while it is open.
SHARING
You can share a ticket, a witness card or your Passport using your phone's standard share sheet. Nothing is shared unless you choose to share it, and it goes only to the app or person you pick.
WHAT WE DON'T DO
- No accounts or sign-in.
- No analytics, crash reporting, or advertising.
- No tracking across apps or websites.
- No selling or sharing of data. There is none to sell.
- No access to your device's location, contacts, photos, camera, or microphone.
CHILDREN
Shire Rail does not collect personal information from anyone, including children.
CHANGES
If the app ever changes how it handles information, we will update this policy and its effective date before that version is released.
CONTACT
Questions about this policy can be sent to theshireserver@gmail.com.
Shire Rail is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or associated with Mojang Studios or Microsoft. Minecraft is a trademark of Mojang Studios.
SHIRE RAIL Support and FAQ
Support and frequently asked questions
Shire Rail is the pocket companion to the railway on Shirecraft, a community Minecraft server running since October 2010. Plan journeys across 600+ stations, issue yourself a ticket, explore the network on a live map, and keep a book of every station you have witnessed.
Available free for iPhone and iPad. No account, no ads, no purchases.
Questions, problems or ideas: theshireserver@gmail.com
GETTING AROUND
The app has four tabs:
- Plan: pick two stations and get a route. Choose Fastest or Fewest changes. Tap a suggested trip, or try a Mystery Excursion and let the Transit Authority choose for you.
- Map: the whole railway. Pinch to zoom and drag with one or two fingers. Use the button in the top corner to switch between the World map (the Shire from above) and the Diagram (not to scale, easiest to follow). Tap a station to see its details.
- Today: who is on the server right now, service notices, the Station of the Week, your witness book, and what happened on this day in the Shire's history.
- Places: articles and pictures from the community wiki, browsable by region, with a search box.
TICKETS
After planning a journey, choose Single, Return or Day Rover and tap Issue ticket. Use the share button to send a copy to a friend or post it in Discord.
Tickets are souvenirs. They are not real tickets and have no real price. On special days in the Shire's calendar, every fare is free.
WITNESSING STATIONS
Witnessing records the stations you have stood at in the game.
1. Log in to Shirecraft.
2. In the app, open Today and claim your Minecraft name from the list of players online.
3. Ride the railway. When the live map shows you standing at a station, it is added to your book.
Finish every station on a line to earn its certificate. Stand at the Station of the Week during its week for a commemorative mark.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
I can't claim my name.
Your name only appears while you are logged in to the server and visible on the live map. Log in, wait a moment, and try again. If you are hidden from the map, the app cannot see you.
A station I visited wasn't witnessed.
The app can only witness you while it is checking the live map. It checks whenever the app is open. When it is closed, iOS decides when it may check, usually a few times a day, and never after you force-quit the app. For the best results, keep the app open while you ride, or add a Shire Rail widget to your Home Screen, which checks about every fifteen minutes.
The app says "The Shire is quiet".
Nobody is on the server at the moment. Everything else in the app still works.
How do I stop witnessing, or switch to a different name?
Open your witness book, tap the ••• button, and choose Stop travelling. Your book keeps the stations already witnessed. You can claim a name again any time you are on the server.
Does the app work offline?
Journey planning and the railway map work with no connection. The live map, who's online, and wiki articles need a connection the first time. Pages and map images you have already seen are kept for offline use.
The map pictures or wiki articles aren't loading.
Check your internet connection. The map and wiki come from Shirecraft's own servers; if they are briefly down, try again later.
A station, line or place is missing or wrong.
The app's data comes from the server's railway and wiki. Tell us at theshireserver@gmail.com and we'll pass it on. Fixes to the wiki appear in the app on its next refresh.
How do I add a widget?
Touch and hold an empty spot on your Home Screen, tap Edit, then Add Widget, and search for Shire Rail. There are two: Who's Online, and Today in the Shire.
How do I join Shirecraft?
Visit shirecraft.us.